Invenda’s Jon Brezinski On How To Build The Best Omnichannel Customer Experience
An Interview With Francois Marchand, Editor of The Ecomm Manager
Connectedness. To ensure smooth transitions between different channels, you need to integrate your technology platforms and ensure real-time interactivity. The road should never feel bumpy or require additional effort from the consumer.
Using omnichannel marketing strategies allows for a more seamless connected experience for customers, meeting them where they are and providing them with consistent messaging. What are some ways to build the best omnichannel customer experience? In this interview series, we are talking to business leaders who can share stories and insights from their experience about five things that a business needs to build the best omnichannel customer experience. As a part of this series, we had the pleasure of interviewing Jon Brezinski.
Jon Brezinski is the CEO and founder of Invenda Group AG, a Swiss Internet-of-Retail disrupter that drives an ecosystem of software, hardware, advertising, data, payment, and services, transforming the landscape of automated retail. His expertise lies in management information systems and computer science, coupled with a wealth of hands-on involvement in telecommunications and the oil and gas sector. Originally from the United States, his passion for snow led him to establish roots in Switzerland.
Thank you so much for your time! I know that you’re super busy. Before diving in, our readers would like to get to know you. Can you tell us a bit about your backstory and how you grew up?
As a product of a US Air Force family, I identify as a “brat” and, despite the preference my family held for me to pursue a military vocation, I’ve opted for an alternate path. The frequent relocations across various regions of the United States during my upbringing have contributed significantly to fostering my curiosity about diverse cultures. This curiosity has subsequently evolved into a fervent enthusiasm for traveling and exploration.
My formative years within this military-oriented context have instilled in me an ability to acclimate to any given situation and integrate into new environments, like my resettlement into Swiss Alpine life. Furthermore, these experiences have ingrained in me the conviction that with unwavering ambition and dedicated diligence, any aspiration can be realized.
An attribute that distinguishes me is my heightened perceptiveness, which often enables me to discern nuances that may elude the notice of others. Additionally, I am predisposed to subjecting propositions to rigorous scrutiny before embracing them.
What led you to this specific career path?
Before starting Invenda, I worked as a management consultant at Xerox, where I took charge of designing and implementing innovative ticket vending solutions. A pivotal moment came while working on a SEPTA train platform in Philadelphia. I noticed unappealing, half-empty snack and drink vending machines and thought: “This technology hasn’t changed since my childhood.” Yet, these dinosaurs, often linked to terrible customer experiences (prompting a kick or two), were occupying prime locations. I realized that disruption was in order in the automated retail space. With a team of engineers from Serbia whom I had collaborated with in the past in ticket vending, I rented an Airbnb in Novi Sad. That was the proverbial “garage” we started from (which not long later evolved into an actual garage). We set out on a journey to create intuitive software for smart, remotely controlled vending machines resembling oversized tablets that would be fun and exciting to use. Today, we have a comprehensive ecosystem that we refer to as “The Internet-of-Retail.”
Can you share the most exciting story that has happened to you since you began at your company?
I’m unable to pinpoint a singular instance. In a recent meeting, I was tasked with narrating our company’s history from idea through founding until today. An hour later, I came to realize the remarkable nature of this journey and the significant events that have transpired within what seems a relatively brief timeframe. A recurring theme across all narratives is that the notion of ‘no’ is confined to specific moments and often obscures the genuine ‘yes’, which becomes apparent when viewed from an alternate perspective. Moreover, encountering skepticism from others tends to signify that one is likely venturing in a promising direction.
Numerous industry leaders have told me that our endeavors are “cool” or “fun”, yet wholly inessential due to the lack of clear and proven demand — for something they don’t even know exists. It’s very common for people to find the sheer volume of Invenda’s innovation and disruption to be daunting and burdensome. I derive immense satisfaction from disproving such notions, although my motivation primarily stems from personal conviction rather than a desire for external validation (excluding that of our shareholders).
What are some of the most interesting or exciting projects you are working on now? How do you think that might help people?
We’re constantly finding new ways to drive positive change through advanced technology — whether it’s improving operators’ lives and margins with remote management, increased efficiency, and cost savings; introducing brands to this underutilized sales channel that can do wonders for their ROI and brand awareness; or providing consumers — end-users of our machines — with a modern, secure, and engaging shopping experience.
One of my favorite projects is the deployment of wellness kiosks across American university campuses to provide students with easier access to healthcare products. They can select and pay for products from their dorm rooms, via the browser-based Invenda Wallet app, and just go around the corner to pick them up 24/7 from a machine. The process is simple, quick, private, and convenient, sparing them the trip to a drugstore. Together with our partners, we also intend to include Narcan, to support the opioid crisis battle on the ground where we can possibly make a difference between life and death.
You’re a successful business leader. What are three traits about yourself that you feel helped fuel your success? Can you share a story or example for each?
An entrepreneurial spirit is fundamental, with the right cocktail of boldness, ambition, and resolve. You need to strike a balance between having your head in the clouds and keeping your feet on the ground. Especially when your vision is to disrupt an entire industry! Blunders and setbacks are an inherent part of the journey — technical glitches and hitches included. You must embrace the learning curve with humility and move forward.
Excellent, thanks so much for sharing that. I want to shift gears and talk about e-commerce. What was your original vision for your e-commerce business? What pain point(s) were you trying to solve for your customers??
My original vision was to build a brain for automated retail — an operating system that would be the de facto standard in the industry. I wanted to wake up this sleeping giant of a market that’s been dormant since 1982, when Coca-Cola built the first smart vending machine (ironically, it’s the world’s first IoT device as well).
It’s an 18-billion-dollar market, with more than 15 million vending machines in the world. When we started, only 1% of them were connected, which is only slowly changing now. Until today, operating a vending machine has meant manual checks, merchandising based on guesswork due to the lack of data, and no opportunities for advertising and promotions. Consumers on the other hand had to contend with a boring, depersonalized, and often frustrating shopping experience which was years behind the current retail trends.
We’ve now built The Internet-of-Retail (IoR), a network of connected automated retail, powered by AI and cloud technology that enables engaging retail experiences for consumers while driving sales and insights for retailers. The goal is to fully integrate self-service locations into omnichannel sales strategies, unlock the untapped advertising potential of automated retail, and enable sellers to leverage the benefits of online shopping such as data collection, personalization, curated recommendations, and efficient check-outs. We are transforming the industry at the point of sale, much like Amazon did for online retail.
Let’s begin with a basic definition so that all of us are on the same page. How do you define a successful omnichannel customer experience?
For any retailer looking to profitably connect with customers, omnichannel is the way to go. A successful omnichannel experience is consistent, seamless, and convenient regardless of the sales channel. It’s about meeting customers wherever they are, acknowledging and remembering their preferences, and striving to predict their needs — sometimes even before they are aware of them. Using the phone browser, we can also deliver cross-channel opportunities by directing consumers to convenient partner locations where they can collect their purchases or winnings in the case of gamification.
What role do technology and automation play in reducing e-commerce logistics costs, and what specific tools or solutions have you found most effective in achieving this?
Technology and automation are indispensable for reducing e-commerce logistics costs. The same goes for automated retail, which shares many logistics processes with e-commerce, including inventory management, transportation management, route optimization, demand forecasting, data analytics, predictive maintenance, etc. These are all features of our Platform, with the aim of streamlining operations and increasing efficiency. Invenda Platform allows operators to manage pricing and inventory remotely, using real-time data to optimize stock levels and prevent stockouts while promoting items based on availability, margin, environment, or any number of factors. We are also able to monitor machines’ health, reducing downtime and cutting technical interventions by 30%. Additionally, we’re improving sustainability by dynamically reducing machine function and energy consumption whenever possible.
What role do social media and other emerging technologies play in your omnichannel customer experience strategy, and how do you stay current with the latest trends and innovations in this area?
Social media and innovative technologies play an enormously significant role in omnichannel. They enable brands to interact with customers across different online and offline touchpoints and provide an altogether frictionless and personalized experience.
Personalization and consumer insights are key to a successful omnichannel strategy. Yet, they have thus far been virtually non-existent in the automated retail space, where brands have struggled with the vending audience. Our Platform uses AI and machine learning to analyze different real-time consumer data such as sales and demographics data to provide brands with insights that they can use to tailor the shopping experience from selection to pricing. We’ve also created Invenda Wallet, a browser-based app that allows vending machine users the ultimate convenience — shopping with the device they’re most comfortable with, which is their personal phone, without having to install anything. It enables them to access their accounts remotely so they can save, share, and buy products even if they are physically not in front of a point of sale. Invenda Wallet offers further experience-enhancing and insight-gaining features including gamification, gifting, scratch-and-win, rate-and-win, and integration with or introduction to loyalty schemes.
How do you ensure that all your customer touchpoints (e.g., website, mobile app, physical stores) are seamlessly integrated and consistent?
In our business, end-users’ touchpoints are the vending machine/kiosk/fridge/cooler/hot box, and the mobile app. Ensuring a unified experience across these touchpoints requires responsive design, cross-channel tracking, real-time updates, consistent content, as well as continuous testing and regular improvement upon feedback. For example, we can’t have discrepancies in pricing or nutritional information that is displayed on the vending machine screen and on the mobile app.
How do you train and empower your customer service teams to deliver a high-quality, omnichannel customer experience?
In B2B companies like ours, customer service has specific characteristics. We’re committed to delivering an exceptional experience to our customers while empowering them to provide the same level of service to their own customers, or end-users.
At Invenda, a customer-centric culture means that we have both customer support and customer success teams providing our clients with tailored service that meets their individual needs. This involves both proactive and reactive support, comprehensive training, cross-channel communication, data security measures, customizations, and product integration.
Additionally, we’ve recently set up the Invenda Support Portal, a platform where our clients can conveniently and remotely access all available documentation and resources (user manuals, policies and procedures, instructional videos, FAQs, etc.) and directly submit support requests.
How do you ensure that your omnichannel customer experience is consistent across different geographies and cultures, and what specific strategies have you found to be most effective in achieving this?
Consistency in customer experience requires flexibility in approach. Once again, personalization is paramount. To achieve a uniformly positive experience across different regions, you first must understand cultural norms and behaviors, how technology is used locally, and how they shop and communicate. You need to do the research and then tailor the experience accordingly.
Also, having a team member who speaks the language and understands local culture has proven enormously effective.
Ok super. Here is the central question of our interview. Can you please share five things that a business needs to build the best omnichannel customer experience? Please share a story or an example for each.
1. Data. If the ultimate feel-good shopping experience should be fluid, smooth, and effortless, it should basically feel like somebody is reading your mind. We must use our data to make an educated guess as to how people think, something the automated retail industry has been notoriously devoid of.
2. Personalization. When you’ve gained insights about your customers’ behaviors and preferences, you can make them feel appreciated with product recommendations that feel hand-picked, tailored offers and promotions, and loyalty programs that reward their trust and commitment. Using our patented technology, Invenda Platform leverages data gathered from IoT sensors to display personalized product recommendations, which is unprecedented in vending.
3. Convenience. That’s the name of the game. And convenience sometimes means fast or even instant gratification. Amazon is clearly aware of this — that’s why they’re trying to speed up the delivery process with anticipatory shipping and setting up “same-day sites”. But big boxes located in strategic spots with products that you can buy remotely already exist and they’re called smart vending machines. Those products are not limited to food and drinks. There are no limits as to what can be delivered by one of the Invenda-supported devices.
4. Consistency. Consistency in brand design and messaging. You need a distinct brand identity. Every interaction a customer has with your brand needs to leave the same (favorable) impression regardless of the channel. It should never feel confusing.
5. Connectedness. To ensure smooth transitions between different channels, you need to integrate your technology platforms and ensure real-time interactivity. The road should never feel bumpy or require additional effort from the consumer.
Looking ahead, what are the biggest opportunities and challenges in building the best omnichannel customer experience, and how do you plan to address them in the coming years?
One of the biggest opportunities in building the best omnichannel customer experience is adding new profitable sales channels — such as automated retail. Smart automated retail is a true “phygital” channel, blending the best of e-commerce and physical stores. And it’s already occupying prime locations.
The challenge would be meeting the ever-evolving customer needs, which would require agility in the adoption of new technologies. There’s no growth without innovation.
You are a person of significant influence. If you could start a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. :-)
Imagine a world where kindness flows like a river, compassion is the air we breathe, and unity is the foundation upon which we build our lives. In this world, I’d ignite a movement of “Ripple of Humanity.” I unfortunately can’t take credit for the concept but would like to use my influence to promote it.
The essence of this movement lies in the profound belief that every single act of goodness, no matter how small, has the power to create ripples of positive change that touch countless lives. It begins with everyone recognizing the extraordinary potential within us to shape the world around us.
We often underestimate the impact of our actions, yet the truth is that every smile, every helping hand, and every act of empathy creates a ripple effect that spreads far beyond what we can see. It’s about seeing the common threads that bind us as human beings and using those connections to uplift and support one another. A kind word can change a day; a compassionate gesture can transform a life.
The Ripple of Humanity movement is not about grand gestures or monumental achievements. It’s about embracing the small moments, the seemingly insignificant interactions that, when combined, weave a tapestry of positivity and hope. It’s about realizing that the change we wish to see in the world begins with the choices we make every day — in how we treat our neighbors, how we engage with strangers, and how we nurture our planet.
Imagine if every person who believes in the power of kindness and compassion decided to be intentional about creating ripples of goodness. If each one of us were a stone dropped into the pond of humanity, the resulting waves of positive impact would be immeasurable. From helping a neighbor in need to supporting a local cause, from spreading love on social media to volunteering our time, the possibilities for creating positive ripples are endless.
And as these ripples spread, they converge and amplify, forming a current of change that touches lives near and far. This movement would remind us that our individual actions, no matter how humble, are connected to a greater purpose — the collective uplift of humanity.
It feels a bit cheesy, and we’re all at some point guilty of weakness, but if we intentionally invest our energies positively whenever possible, the return of investment will yield immeasurably positive results.
How can our readers further follow your work online?
Invenda Group AG can be followed via our website and nearly all social media channels. You can also reach out and get to know one of our team members.
I want to thank you so much for your time and for sharing your expertise with us. I wish you continued success!
Thank you!
About The Interviewer: Francois Marchand is the editor of The Ecomm Manager. Throughout his 20+ years in journalism, communications, and marketing, Francois has created and managed high-value content for Postmedia, Vancouver Film School, and Unbounce. He loves helping business leaders grow their skillsets and knowledge base to stay ahead of the competition. Visit The Ecomm Manager: theecommmanager.com
